


Turning Pages

by alexruinseverything



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, bookshop au, some pining and Logan probably won't admit his feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 09:48:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25967641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexruinseverything/pseuds/alexruinseverything
Summary: Logan Berry had a normal, content, average life. He was happy working at the bookshop that he simply loved, all until the brash and loud brother of one of his coworker's boyfriend's entered the picture. Then he found his quite perfect life interrupted by something he had never experienced before - fun. Remus Kingsley was getting him to branch out, and not looking too bad while doing it.-It's an intrulogical bookshop au basically-
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Intrulogical - Relationship, Moceit, Prinxiety
Comments: 102
Kudos: 207





	1. Opening Up

Logan Berry had a normal, content, average life. He had good grades, a solid sleep schedule, an average amount of social interaction, and a job that he adored. He worked at a bookshop, the same bookshop he had spent most of his childhood in since most preteens were not fans of their intellectually superior peers. Though at the bookshop he could put all of that aside and immerse himself in knowledge - and on the rare occasion, some fantasy. In all fairness it didn’t take long for the bookshop owner, Mr. Sanders, to start recognizing the young boy that was always sitting in the armchairs by the windows. It didn’t take much more time after that for him to start to take Logan under his wing, showing him how the bookshop runs and on Logan’s 16th birthday, offering him a job that was happily accepted. Logan had always been an enthusiastic learner and that directly translated into his work. When Mr. Sanders’ attention got pulled away from the shop, Logan happily picked up the slack.

He was not a fan of summer break, finding the halt in his education to be cumbersome, but he did enjoy having more time to spend at the shop. It was 7am sharp when he unlocked the door, the familiar bell tingling to indicate entry as he flipped on the light switches, immediately soaking in the smell of the books with a smile to himself. Now to begin on the opening checklist he knew so well. Step one, lock the door to avoid any early customers. Check. Step two, count the money and open the register up. Check. Step three, check displays and ensure that bookmarks are orderly and the magazines are sitting neat. Check. Step four, go through aisles and ensure that books are neatly lined up and in alphabetical order. This step takes a while so it is vital to keep an eye on the time so that at precisely 8am the door can be unlocked again. Logan does his job thoroughly until he checks this one off as well, standing behind the register to organize the pens and highlighters, ensuring there is receipt tape in the printer. At 7:58 he pulls his apron on over his head, unlocking the door with a soft click of the lock, straightening a display of books as he passed by. 

It was not unusual for Logan’s coworker to be late to his morning shift. Patton Hart seemed to always arrive at 8am dull rather than sharp, but he always made up for it in some way so it was quite hard to get mad at him. Today, for example, he skipped in at nearly 8:15, but he was holding two cups of coffee and a pastry bag. 

“Sorry I’m late!” Patton apologized, reading the side of one of the cups before handing it to Logan. “Remy was extra chatty at the coffee shop today...but here you go! Large black coffee and a blueberry muffin.”

Logan thanked the other, taking the coffee and sipping at it. He had already had a cup before leaving home but it wouldn’t hurt to have another. He had already eaten breakfast so he tucked the muffin under the counter for later. Patton went into a small room behind the counter to set his belongings down and clock in, returning in his apron and a smile.

“I need to know what book you plan on reading for the kids on Saturday so a display can be set up,” Logan stated, looking over the short list of events the shop had planned. Patton hosted book readings for young children every once in a while and it was always a hit, bringing in lots of revenue for the shop. Another reason he could get away with being late. 

“Oh! I was thinking If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” he replied. “We just got a shipment in of those, right? I thought it might work out nicely especially since I did the Pigeon books last time.”

“Excellent,” Logan nodded, approving the idea by penciling it onto the schedule next to the time slot for Patton’s Reading Circle. 

It wasn’t a very busy day, but it went by seemingly quickly with lots to do. Logan sat in the office for a good two hours, filling out orders for the shipment they would receive on Wednesday, making sure to get any special requests customers had ordered. When that was done he went about reorganizing the science section, making room for a new book that would be gracing the shelves and placing a space-holder in the meantime. Patton had been fluffing up the pillows on the cushiony chairs set around the store and dusting off shelves and cleaning the windows down. When a customer came in one of them would help them find what they wanted then ring them up, that bell by the door always chiming to alert them. The peaceful and known routine was part of what made Logan happy. Around noon he excused himself to the back to eat the muffin Patton had brought this morning, letting the other know that his break was scheduled in about an hour when their third coworker arrived. 

When it came to Virgil Storm it was always a toss up. He was either early or late, never on time. Today however he chose to be early, walking in fifteen minutes before one, nodding a hello to both Logan and Patton as he headed to the back, sipping on an iced coffee with a tired expression. He came back out with his apron on, the cord of his headphones hanging out of his pocket a little bit as he started his usual rounds around the store. Aside from Logan, Virgil was definitely the most detail oriented.

Logan excused Patton for his break, perching on a stool behind the register and pulling out a large binder to work on some scheduling for the next few weeks. Always better to get things done in advance, of course. The bell rang and Logan looked up to greet the customer but saw it was just Roman, Virgil’s boyfriend.

“Hello, Roman,” he nodded, getting a greeting back before Roman was off to find Virgil.

Logan had never seen Roman actually read a book, but he did buy them every so often, mostly ones about theater or anything that had a dragon on the cover. He was just charming enough to have won over Mr. Sanders on the few times they had crossed paths in the shop, but really he only served as a distraction. Today wasn’t busy so Logan let him stay for a little while before leaving his post at the register to check on how he was interfering with Virgil today. 

“Roman, if you shadow Virgil any longer I’m going to hand you an apron and consider it your training,” he warned lightly.

“Okay, okay,” Roman started. “He’s just showing me some new fantasy stuff, I promise I’ll be a paying customer this time.”

Logan decided to believe him, returning to his post at the register and continuing to pencil names onto a schedule, trying to work around the names to fit something that was fair for everyone. Then of course he would send it to Mr. Sanders for approval before posting it on the bulletin board in the room behind the counter. The bell rang again and Logan looked up to greet a customer or say hello to Patton who surely was due back from his break soon but was instead met with the most interesting person he had ever laid eyes on.

This man was all broad shoulders and wild hair, a streak of white gracing the front of his curls and a mustache that was twirled at the ends in ways Logan thought only the men in Victorian romance novels sported. He was somewhat dressed for the warm weather outside in a mossy green tank top that hung obscenely off his body, showing off an octopus tattoo on his left shoulder with the tentacles creeping down his upper arm, and black jeans that were more rips than pants. His eyes scanned around the bookshop, landing on Logan for a second too long to be played of as a passing glance. 

“Roman! If you don’t quit making out with Virgil against a bookshelf I’m gonna leave your ass here,” the man said just a little too loudly for proper bookshop etiquette. 

“Hey, shuddup,” Roman said, emerging from the shelves with a book in his hand. “Remus, I thought you were shopping down the street.”

“I was, then I got bored. Hey, this place is weird. I don’t think I’ve ever been in here,” the man - Remus - said, picking up one of the display books and flipping it open, only to put it back down in a way that wasn’t remotely how he had found it. “C’mon, I wanna swing by the park and chase the geese before we head home. Hurry up.”

Logan found that he had been watching the interaction, his scheduling forgotten as Roman came and set his selection on the counter, Remus following behind him and messing up the neat displays of knick-knacks on the counter. 

“Told you I’d buy a book,” Roman said with a grin. “Oh, this is my brother by the way. Sorry he’s loud.”

Remus flicked Roman on the back of the head. “Am not. This place is just super quiet,” his eyes trailed over Logan in a way that was enough to make him feel like he was being dissected. “Nice to meet you, Specs.”

“And you as well,” Logan said, ringing up Roman’s book and sliding it into a paper bag, cuing him up to pay. Though with how brash this man was he wasn’t sure if that was an entirely true statement. “Roman, you’re good to go. Have a nice day.”

Logan watched the two brother’s leave, sighing lightly as he closed the scheduling binder and sticking it back under the counter. Patton came back with a happy wave and a box of donuts that he set in the back for them all to pick at when they wished. He let Patton watch the register, moving to clean up the damage that Remus had left behind to his strictly ordered displays. Well, hopefully that wouldn’t be a continuous issue. Remus seemed like he read books even less than Roman, though Logan couldn’t deny there was something illogically intriguing about how unrestrained Remus had been.


	2. So Really, Why Shouldn't You Give A Mouse A Cookie?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remus' POV, so fair warning for Remus being Remus

Remus had walked by the bookshop at least three times before finding it. All because Roman’s dumb car broke down he was stuck carting his brother around. Eventually he did spot the shop Roman had gone off to (to annoy poor old Virgil of course, because bothering your boyfriend at work was peak romance, right?). It was a wooden storefront and a bell tingled as he opened the door, looking around as he was hit with that immediate paper smell. God no way that was just coming from the books, they had to have a candle or some shit lit somewhere. He glanced around, looking for his brother, but his eyes landed on someone much better. That man behind the counter was hot in a way Remus didn’t usually notice but goddamn, he was noticing now. His eyes lingered for a second before he raised his voice. 

“Roman! If you don’t quit making out with Virgil against a bookshelf I’m gonna leave your ass here!” he said, shooting an annoying smile at his brother when he finally showed himself. 

He looked around while Roman paid, not finding too much interesting until he joined him by the counter, taking another look at the man there. He was almost sure the guy’s name tag had been printed but nope...it was just painstakingly neat handwriting. Logan. Well, the face had a name. 

“Nice to meet you, Specs,” he winked after Roman introduced him. “Now c’mon. If I don’t get to chase geese I’m throwing you in the pond.”

Roman bid the bookshop guy bye bye and finally they were back into the sweltering heat. Remus had commented earlier that if he had the chance he would 100% kick the Sun’s ass for making it so hot. And he stood by that. The two of them finished their day and Remus got to chase his geese like he wanted - until the geese started chasing him and then they went home. He couldn’t get that bookshop guy out of his head though for the rest of the day. Or the next day. Eventually he had to ask Roman what he knew.

“So, that bookshop dork. Specs,” he said, leaning against the doorframe of Roman’s bedroom. His brother was sitting on his bed with a sketchbook in his lap shooting him a questioning look.

“What about him?”

Remus took that as indication enough and he entered, sitting in Roman’s desk chair with a spin. “What do you know about him?”

“Logan? He’s a total stiff,” Roman laughed lightly. “Why do you care?”

“Hey, am I not allowed to be intrigued by people?”

“Not the way you get ‘intrigued’, no. Re, Logan won’t go for you. Hell, I’m pretty sure he only has eyes for that bookshop and the occasional biography,” Roman stated, adding a few more lines to his drawing. 

“Once again, I am not lusting over a nerd who wants to fuck his books. I was just asking!” Remus said, putting his hands up in faux surrender before getting up. “At least I don’t spend my days there following the emo around like a lost puppy!”

And with that he slipped out of Roman’s room, laughing as shouts of protest followed him. Days passed and Remus went about his life until Saturday when he found himself at the thrift store that was right down the street from that bookshop. Well, surely it wouldn’t go hurt to visit. Right? He could have played it off as visiting Virgil, but Virgil didn’t work weekends so he was most likely back at Remus’ house with Roman. He got his excuse though when he reached the shop, a sign out front advertising that Patton’s Reading Circle was happening in about ten minutes. Ah, fate had given him impeccable timing today. 

Remus pushed the door to the bookshop open, that same bell tingling. It wasn’t hard to spot where the book reading was going on. It was where the crowd of little kids and their tired looking parents were gathered. However he was keeping an eye out for a different spectacled bookshop employee. Logan wasn’t anywhere in eyesight though as Remus took a seat by the circle, figuring he had some time to kill anyway. Might as well learn why you shouldn’t give a mouse a cookie or whatever. He took a seat on the carpet with all the kids, blatantly ignoring the odd looks the parents gave him. He did accept the fruit snack offered by the kid next to him, leaning back on his hands as some guy in glasses came out holding a book and said hi to everyone. Remus figured that must be Patton. He looked like a total dork, but in a different way than the nerd Remus had come to see. His book reading wasn’t too shabby either, though it was far too vanilla for Remus’ taste. It ended and he clapped along with the kids, not moving from the carpet for a bit as kids joined their parents and either left or went to roam around the bookshop. It was a lot busier than the weekday Remus had been here before. 

Eventually he stood up, going to a display and flipping through the book Patton had just read. It was very convincing that you should under no circumstances give a mouse a cookie. Remus’ attention fell away from that as he spotted a book on marine biology, leaving the cookie book on the display in a haphazard way. He picked up the marine book, flipping through. It had scientific illustrations...his favorite kind. It was like a grown up picture book!

“Can I help you find anything?” a familiar voice asked and when he looked up from his book there Logan was. Still as handsome as the day he saw him. “Oh, ah...Remus. Hello.”

“Howdy, Specs,” Remus grinned, happy this trip hadn’t been for naught. “How’s it going?”

“I’m quite adequate, thank you for asking,” Logan replied, his eyes glancing to the book in Remus’ hand. “That’s an excellent resource, it goes quite in depth on the flora and fauna of the bottom of the sea. Though personally I find all of that unsettling. If marine life is your thing we have lots of books on it.”

Remus almost could have laughed at that. Ah, such a salesman. He noticed Logan had a different tie on today, though it was still in shades of blue, this time a neat dot pattern instead of stripes. 

“Maybe next time you’ll have to show me. I think for now I’ll just take this one since it's apparently an excellent resource,” he said, shutting the book. “I was also wondering if I could take you out for some coffee maybe. What time’s your break? I can hang around.”

Logan opened his mouth and closed it again before adjusting his glasses. “I appreciate the offer, Mr. Kingsley, however I have already had my break so I will have to pass. If you’re all set I can ring you up?”

“Yeah, I guess just the book then,” Remus shrugged, slightly shocked by being turned down, but not too discouraged. 

As Logan was ringing him up, he felt his phone buzz in his back pocket, a text arriving from ‘Two Face’.

‘You coming today or no?’

Remus typed out a quick reply, watching Logan stick his book in a paper bag after sticking a bookmark between the pages for him.

‘Fnnshng smthng up, b thr soon. You want cffe? Usal?’

His texting was headache inducingly hard to decipher sometimes, but those close enough to get lots of texts from him had figured it out already. He got the buzz and the ‘yes’ as a reply, sliding a twenty over to Logan as payment. He stuck the change in the near empty jar on the counter that read Employee Book Fund with a smiley face under it. 

“Thanks for the book, Specs. I’ll be sure to let you know how I like it,” Remus promised, gripping the paper bag in a fist. “Have a good one.”

“Goodbye, Remus,” Logan bid him farewell, motioning for the next guest in line to come forward. 

Remus was off to the coffee shop first, getting the two drink orders before heading over to Janus’ house. Oh he had tea...and not just the kind he had just gotten from the coffee shop (because of course Janny drank tea). No, he had to gush all about this bookstore boy that he definitely had a crush on at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are fun!


	3. Lists of Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Logan is in denial, and I'm not talking about the river in Egypt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a shorter chapter than the others, but I'm not gonna lie.......Logan's life is sorta boring (which is how he likes it of course........for now)

Logan admittedly was shocked with himself for turning down the offer of coffee with Roman’s brother. He had been equally shocked that the other had actually purchased a book when he crashed the reading of the children’s book. Sure the man with the white streak of hair had crossed his mind a few times in the past few days, mostly when he saw Roman enter the shop to bother Virgil. Would Remus be barging in again? He had convinced himself the thought only crossed his mind because of how destructive the man was. He messed up the stands and shouted in the shop...he was like a tornado or a car crash. Terrible but impossible to look away from. Hence why he had been a little taken aback when he spotted that same white streak sitting with the kids in a circle while Patton went through his Saturday reading circle. 

“Who was that guy?” Patton asked during a lull in the customers. “He came and listened to the reading.”

“That would be Remus. Roman’s twin brother. You were on break the first time he came in,” Logan responded, smoothing down the front of the apron. “Perhaps word of Patton’s Reading Circle has begun to reach a broader audience.”

That got a laugh from Patton which told Logan he was gonna drop the questions about Remus. Good. There were much more important things to think about than rowdy men with eyes that were so green they looked like toxic waste. Logan wondered if he wore contacts because Roman’s were hazel at best, but Remus’ seemed to glow. No- he shut that line of thinking down, relieved when a customer came in and asked to be shown to the biography section. Work was a great distraction when one’s mind began to be plagued by things he’d rather not think about. After the man was helped the customer’s started to thin, the busy morning turning into a dead zone evening. That was the way it worked around here. Nobody really came into the shop unless there was an event, which is what made Patton and his children’s books so imperative. 

Logan didn’t mind being at the shop all day. Patton had opened, but Logan had shown up thirty minutes early just to ensure it was going smoothly. By the time it was closing he was hardly tired, having chosen two new books to read over the course of the day, blatantly ignoring the marine biology section despite his interest having been piqued by a certain encyclopedia. The shop was closed on Sundays so he had no work tomorrow, and Monday was his day off, an unnecessary requirement that Mr. Sanders had put into place for every employee. Something about not working oneself into the ground. Still, his day of absence meant he had to get everything spic and span for Monday. He was out by 6:15, his shift technically ended at 6 since the shop closed at 5. He had said goodbye to Patton around 3 so it was just him alone with the books, something that might seem eerie to some, but it was when he felt most comfortable. 

The sun was still out when he left, locking the door behind him. The summer air was warm, but today luckily wasn’t humid. Leaving the air conditioned store into humid weather always made his glasses fog up with condensation. Instead today the warmth just settled pleasantly into his skin. The town they lived in was small, the bookshop nestled among other family owned businesses, any chain store off in the shopping mall fifteen miles away. It was quiet and that was what Logan liked. He took the long way home, walking through the park instead of the direct route. As he passed the pond with the geese sitting around it he couldn’t help but wonder if these were the poor birds that had fallen prey to Remus Kingsley’s antics.

“Perhaps we have something in common, my fowl feathered friends,” he said as a line of them crossed the pathway. 

Logan waited for the geese to finish crossing before continuing on, the sunlight bouncing off the leaves of the trees and illuminating the people sitting on the benches. A mother and her young children, two younger boys with skateboards, and couples. Lots and lots of couples. Holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes. Logan noted it was the type of stuff Roman always romanticized. It was the kind of stuff he had always found personally trivial and unnecessary. He gave a content sigh once he finally reached his apartment, taking the steps up to the fourth floor since the elevator was nearly always out of order. He didn’t mind, though. The stairs were an excellent form of exercise which was a vital part to living a healthy life. 

His evening was calm, pleasant even. He cooked himself dinner just as he always did, enjoying his meal at the table with soft music playing in the background. For dessert he was even fortunate enough to have some cookies Patton had given him which he snuck some of his favorite jam onto. Logan had no work to catch up on so he settled onto his sofa with a book, flipping through the pages happily until a character description caught his attention. Green eyes. He wondered if they were a muted green or bright and exciting like Remus’-- and then he promptly banished that thought from his mind. 

It was highly unreasonable to entertain these continuous thoughts about Remus Kingsley. Firstly he seemed to be a bringer of chaos, a concept that Logan did not appreciate. Logan appreciated order and routine, he doubted Remus had either of those things. Secondly, Remus is Roman’s brother. Logan is not great at having friends, but he considers Roman an acquaintance of his. After all, on occasion he has been invited out with Patton and Virgil and Roman seemed to usually be there. That was his social group, and he was fairly certain there was some sort of unspoken rule about dating family members of your acquaintances. Thirdly, and most importantly, Logan was not looking for a relationship. He was far too busy to dedicate time to another person when his life was divided up perfectly into work, pursuit of knowledge, and the occasional social activity to upkeep connections with others. There was no space for Remus Kingsley in his life. His continued thoughts seemed to suggest otherwise, however. 

“I need to make a list,” Logan spoke aloud to an empty apartment, setting his book aside and grabbing the notepad from the coffee table. 

He set up two columns, dedicated to rationalizing these daydreams away so he could return to his reality. The first column was labeled Thoughts About Remus and the second was labeled Why That Is Irrational. Logan let the thoughts flow freely now, writing down the things his mind had brought up about the near stranger since their first encounter. Remus’ eyes made the list. So did the fact that he’s tall. Logan wasn’t blind despite what his glasses would suggest, and he could admit that Remus was attractive, sort of in a dangerous way. He then went through and rationalized each of those away. Approximately 2% of the population has green eyes, so it isn’t completely impossible he could find someone else attractive with the eye color. It was unlikely, and it was even more unlikely that they would hold that same sort of glint that Remus’ did. 

“You’re missing the point of the assignment,” he spoke to himself, continuing on the list.

Lots of people were tall, and even then it wasn’t a requirement to be attractive. Speaking of attractive, Remus wasn’t the first person Logan had thought of as such, so there was strong evidence to suggest he wouldn’t be the last. When Logan did feel he was ready for a relationship he was sure he could find someone else who checked off the required categories who didn’t mess up the bookshop displays. That last thought was more helpful than any of the others. Logan was satisfied with his list, setting the notebook back on the table and picking up his book once more, content now to continue his night of reading where his only concerns were based in the historical fiction he was reading at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always appreciated and they motivate me to keep on going. Some more Remus POV up next!


	4. Tea Spilling and Sleepovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a brief mention of scars and an accident, but it's not focused on for too long at all.

Remus was pretty sucky at obeying speed limits on an average day, but he was currently pretending they didn’t even exist. He could almost hear Roman screaming at him to slow down or they were gonna die. Spoiler alert: they never died! And Roman had been the one to have car issues, not Remus! Today though he was eager to get to Janus’ house. He always enjoyed seeing his friend, but enjoyed it more when he had a guaranteed person to listen to his ramblings, even if Janus was flipping through a book while he listened. He reached the other’s neighborhood, parking his car and grabbing the two take away mugs, not bothering to knock before he entered. 

“Oh Janny! I’m here! And I brought you tea!” he called out, figuring Janus was likely in his room studying or some boring activity like that.

Remus moved up the stairs two at a time, nudging open the door to Janus’ room with his hip. He wasn’t studying but rather sitting cross legged on his bed with his two yellow ball pythons curled up in his lap. He had headphones on so he must not have heard Remus enter, as shown clearly by the mild look of shock that graced his face. 

“You have the babies out!” Remus cooed, forgetting the coffee cups on top of the dresser to sit on the bed across from Janus. “Aw...hey, Ethan. Hey Damian. Look at your cute little snake faces.” 

“I thought you were going to text me when you arrived,” Janus sighed, pulling the headphones out of his ears and pausing his music.

“Did I say that? I don’t think I said that,” Remus laughed, picking up one of the snakes. He could never tell which one was Ethan and which one was Damien. They looked identical. 

“Right, silly me. I should know better than to expect politeness from you by now.”

Janus stood up from the bed, picking up the second snake and placing him into his habitat before taking the one Remus was holding and doing the same. He grabbed his cup of tea before sitting back on the bed, giving a small sigh.

“So, what did you do? You usually buy me tea when you’ve done something or you’re about to do something,” he said, sipping the drink tentatively to test if it was too hot or not.

Remus couldn’t deny that Janus knew him well. They had been best friends since the third grade and fairly inseparable since. When Janus was really young he got in an accident that left him with some nasty scars on half of his body, most notably his face and hand. They weren’t as bad now as they were when they were younger, but kids had been mean and Remus liked to play hero sometimes. A few punches thrown to bullies and Remus had gained a best friend. Just in time too because that was around the time his brother was starting to make his own friends and suddenly the Kingsley twins were no longer joined at the hip. Remus kept assholes away from Janus and Janus kept Remus in line as much as he could. It was a good balance. 

“Well...there’s this boy~,” Remus started, mouth curling up into a grin. He wished he hadn’t left his coffee so far away, but he didn’t care enough to get up and grab it. “He works at a bookshop- you know the one on Main? The craziest thing? He’s like totally immune to my charms! I asked him for coffee today and he said no!”

“Remarkable. You’ve finally met someone you can’t woo over,” Janus gave a slow clap of his hands, tea resting on his nightstand for now. “The bookshop on Main...you don’t mean Mr. Sanders’ place, do you?”

“Jan, Imma be real. I’ve no fucking clue who owns the place,” Remus shrugged. “All I know is that it’s a prison of books and this stunning nerd is locked away in there. It’s the one Virge works at.”

“Yes, I know the shop,” Janus nodded, gaze flickering down. “That’s, ah...that’s where Patton works. I believe I’ve mentioned him.”

“Patton...Patton...oh! Patton! I saw him today. I went to his little book reading. Wait, that’s Patton? Dude, he reminds me of the Pillsbury Doughboy.”

“He does not! Don’t be rude,” Janus sighed, grabbing his tea and sipping at it again. “Don’t tell me that the boy you’ve fallen for is Logan. Is it?”

Remus’ grin widened as he nodded enthusiastically. “That’s the one! He’s dreamy~”

“He’s robotic.”

“Well- maybe a little bit. That doesn’t mean he isn’t cute,” Re countered. “Hey! We should hit up the bookshop together. You can gawk at Patton, I’ll flirt up Logan. Hell, I’m sure I’ll be driving my brother there sooner rather than later, you can come along!”

Janus paused for a moment, thinking it over. He wasn’t necessarily the type to go bother someone at work, but he didn’t know where else to run into Patton so he nodded, figuring this plan of Remus’ wasn’t the worst one he had come up with. Besides, he hadn’t been to the shop in a while. He was so caught up with summer classes that he hadn’t had time to pick up a book for casual reading in quite some time.

“Yes, okay. I’m free Tuesday afternoon if you want to go,” he said. “I have a quiz that day so I believe I’ll be out of my morning class a touch earlier than usual.”

“Or~ skip class?” Remus tried, knowing there was a very slim chance of that happening. Janus was a law student trying to graduate early, he didn’t skip class unless he had a good lie to get out of it, and certainly not on a test day.

“No shot, Romeo. We can go after.”

Remus let out a small complaint that he wasn’t the Romeo of his family, but it fell on deaf ears as Janus just sipped at his tea with a small smirk. The boy talk ceased lightly as the two friends went about their evening. They watched some god awful horror movie that Remus wanted to watch, ordered pizza, and eventually Remus fell asleep on the floor. Janus didn’t have the heart to wake him up so he sent a text to Roman, just so the Kingsley’s knew Remus was safe at least. He got a thumbs up emoji in response and figured that was average for the conversations he had with Remus’ twin brother. Roman had never liked Janus too much, though no one could tell you what started their small rivalry. Janus moved about to get ready for bed himself, but when he returned back from the bathroom Remus had somehow moved up to the bed, laying on top of the covers, fully clothed thankfully. Ignoring the fact that Remus wasn’t particularly the cleanest person, Janus climbed in next to him like he always did, grateful for the added warmth anyway as he settled under the blankets. It might have been the middle of summer but that didn’t negate the fact that he was always cold. Pretty soon he was slipping into sleep as well despite the loud snores coming from his friend in his ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always appreciated!! Updates might be less frequent due to school starting back up but comments motivate me :)


	5. Logan Finally Caves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for mention of serial killers. Nothing graphic, just Remus buying a book

Logan heavily disliked being away from the bookshop for so long. Yes, he trusted the other employees to take care of the shop, but he didn’t know what to do with himself when he wasn’t at work. One could only reorganize his own bookshelf so many times. He had tried alphabetical order by author name, by title, then he had tried color coordinated. None of them appeased him, so he had just set his books back to the way they had been before. Finally Tuesday came and he was immensely pleased to be waking up at six in the morning to open up the bookshop. His morning routine was always the same, always in order, always timed perfectly. First he woke up right as his alarm rang. He usually woke up a little bit early since his body had naturally trained itself to be up early at this point, but he allowed himself that time to linger in bed until his alarm did ring. Next he headed to the bathroom to take care of business, not brushing his teeth just yet. That was for later. Kitchen was after the bathroom where he made himself a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit on top, or if he wanted variation he’d go for toast with jam. After eating breakfast Logan would get dressed in the outfit he laid out the night before, brushing his teeth and double checking that he had everything he needed for the day before heading out the door. 

The mornings were never quite as hot as the afternoons were, but he didn’t have time for the long way through the park. Morning walks were always short since he was eager to get to the bookshop. Today there was a change in his usual routine. When Logan got to the bookshop the lights were already on inside. He’d have to check who closed last night and give them a warning about that. Even more concerning was that the door was unlocked. Surely nobody was daft enough to leave the lights on and the door unlocked. Had someone broken in? Logan pushed the door open carefully, looking around for any signs of disarray. Everything seemed to be in perfect condition, but that didn’t make any sense. He scanned the aisles as he walked towards the counter, not seeing any sign of life until the door to the back room opened up, causing Logan to jump slightly.

“Mr….Sanders?” he asked, seeing who had come out. 

“Logan!” the bookshop owner grinned, setting down a stack of magazines on the counter. “How are you?”

“I’m quite well. I didn’t know you had returned from your trip, I thought you were coming back in a few weeks.”

“The Grand Canyon was nice, but really there’s only so many times you can look at some rocks and I missed this place. I’m glad to see it’s still standing. I got all the reports you sent.”

“Of course it’s still standing, there were no disasters besides Patton spilling his coco in the break room, and that was easily handled with a mop,” Logan replied. After all, he did his best to take good care of this place while Mr. Sanders was gone.

“That does sound like a Patton thing to do,” Mr. Sanders chuckled. “I’m back for a few weeks this time, so you don’t need to work so hard for a while.”

Logan wanted to point out that he liked working hard, but the bookshop owner had picked his magazines back up and started to organize them in the stand by the register. Logan had worked at the shop long enough to know how to work alongside Mr. Sanders, and more often than not it was in comfortable silence, the occasional humming of some Disney song coming from the elder. No wonder Roman was allowed to pester the shop. He was walking through the aisles when the door unlocked and the day began officially. 

It was average business for a weekday morning. About an hour in Mr. Sanders excused himself for a coffee run, promising to bring some pastries back for everyone. Logan was fine with that. He stood behind the counter, flipping through a random book on marine life he had picked up during this morning’s sweep of the shelves. The bell on the door rang and Virgil walked in, hood of his sweatshirt up and headphones on. He nodded his hello and Logan wanted to mention that Mr. Sanders was back, but the other wouldn’t have heard considering his music could be detected through the headphones as he passed. Logan went back to his reading, flipping the page to a new section about octopi. He was reminded of the tentacle tattoo that had been spotted on Remus’ arm the few times he had come to the shop and wondered if he was a fan of octopuses or squids. Well...that was a normal thing to think, right? It was a perfectly normal query to wonder why someone had chosen to permanently tattoo something on their body.

“Dude, are you okay? You’re like super spaced out right now,” Virgil’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“Oh- yes,” Logan cleared his throat, shutting the book without bothering to take note of his page number. “Just thinking, I suppose. Mr. Sanders is back, he’s just off getting coffee and some treats for the break room.”

“Oh, sweet. I missed that funky dude.”

“We all did,” Logan said, pulling out a list from under the counter. “The displays are getting changed. Would you mind pulling these books and setting them aside for the new setup?”

“You got it, Lo,” Virgil nodded, taking the list and setting off to do his task. 

Luckily Logan didn’t have to worry about going back to his book because a customer happened to come in and ask for some help finding a good book on true crime, something Logan had a good amount of recommendations for. Mr. Sanders came back with his coffee and a box of danishes, having a conversation with Virgil before going off to do some task of his own. For a bookstore that wasn’t often busy there was always lots to do. Virgil left in the early afternoon when Patton came in, the bubbly employee was overwhelmingly happy to see that the bookshop owner had returned. Happy enough to go off on an hour long update with how his plants were doing. While Patton showed off the pictures of his plant kiddos to Mr. Sanders, Logan took a seat at the register again, writing down reports of what had been done so far today. Yes, the boss man himself was here so it was unnecessary but it was a force of habit now and it was good to keep in practice for the next inevitable trip Mr. Sanders took. 

Logan’s focus was only interrupted when the bell on the door rang and a familiar voice could be heard. He looked up to see Remus walking in with another customer that Logan recognized as a regular. Remus’ friend walked off and Patton’s voice could be heard in one of the aisles greeting him by name. Remus however chose to walk right up to the counter.

“Fancy seein’ you here, Specs,” he winked.

“Surely it’s not surprising. I’m nearly always working,” Logan replied. “Have you been enjoying your marine biology book you purchased last time you were here?”

“Couldn’t put the thing down. Finally got to prove to Ro that I can indeed read.”

“Congratulations…?” Logan spoke, not sure if that was the proper response, but Remus smiled regardless. “Can I help you find anything else or are you just here with your friend?”

“Hm, well...I trust your judgement by now. Got anything you’d suggest? I like sea life but anything spooky or gorey is good too,” Remus said. 

Logan thought for a moment before getting an idea. He had spent nearly half an hour in the true crime section earlier and could think of a few books Remus might enjoy. He nodded, motioning for the other to follow him to a corner of bookshelves, passing Remus’ friend and a mildly blushing Patton on the way. 

“Serial killers,” he said, pulling a book off the shelf and pressing it into Remus’ hands. “Stories about their crimes and the punishments they faced, kind of a gloss over of some of the most infamous ones. If there's a particular killer you’re interested in I’m sure we have more in-depth biographies of them as well.”

“Oh, Jeffrey Dahmer’s in this! I wrote an essay on him in high school. Best grade I’ve ever gotten,” Remus grinned, looking over the book in his hands. “I’m sold, Specs.”

“I can ring you up if you’d like,” Logan said, turning to head back up to the register. “Unless you’d rather wait for your friend to finish his shopping.”

“Oh, I dunno if Jay is actually gonna buy anything, but he wanted to come say hello to Patton. You didn’t hear it from me, but he’s got a bit of a crush,” Remus laughed.

“Well, I wish him the best of luck with that endeavor,” Logan spoke, nodding to Mr. Sanders at the register who was looking at Remus like he knew him but couldn’t place where. “Remus, this is Mr. Sanders. He owns the bookshop.”

“Oh! My brother knows you,” Remus said, waving a hello as Logan went behind the counter as well. “I’m Roman’s brother, which is why I look like a better version of him.”

“Oh, yes! I know Roman. He comes in here quite often. Is he in today?” Mr. Sanders looked around the shop as if expecting the other brother to be around.

“Nope, he got roped in to helping our Aunt Patty clean out her attic,” Remus replied, his eyes falling on a marine life book that was sitting by the register. “Are you doing some good old research, Mr. S?”

“Actually, that’s been Logan’s read today,” the bookshop owner spoke, watching Remus hand over his book to Logan before going back to the paperwork he was doing. 

“Lemme guess...it’s another excellent resource?” Remus asked, leaning on the counter as Logan rang him up. Then he got an idea. “Y’know...I don’t suppose you’re free Thursday, are you? I was gonna go to the aquarium and see the octopi. Maybe I could bring you with?”

Logan had to stop himself from immediately answering yes, surprised to find that he was enticed by the idea. 

“Sadly I’m working Thursday, my apologies,” he replied, not loving the frown that settled onto the mustached man’s face as his response. 

“You can have Thursday off,” Mr. Sanders spoke, shaking his head when Logan opened his mouth to protest. “Logan Berry, you work nearly every day. You can have a Thursday off. I’ll be here so it’s no big deal.”

“Looks like you aren’t working anymore, so whaddya say, Loganberry? Aquarium?” Remus smiled, sliding his card to pay for his new book. 

“I think the aquarium could be enjoyable, I’ll accompany you,” Logan answered, taking a pen to write his phone number on the back of Remus’ receipt. “I’ll text you my address so you can pick me up and we can discuss any further details that are needed, such as timing.”

“Well then, it’s a date,” Remus’ grin grew, looking over at Janus who was waiting for him by the door. “See ya Thursday!”

“Yes, yes. A date,” Logan nodded, watching Remus bounce away and leave the shop itself.

Wait. A date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may even get more spaced out since school is in full swing (yay, college) and I'm starting work again soon (at a bookshop actually, so maybe I'll just be even more inspired for this lol). Comments and kudos always appreciated! They do motivate me bc it means people like my work.


	6. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter this time! But god this was fun to write. CW for mild talk of death/dying (nothing too morbid, just Remus being Remus) and I think that's it

“Roman, that’s no fair! I called dibs on the car days ago!” Remus argued, chasing his brother down the hall.

“And I told you! Virgil and I are going to the mall, so I need it!” Roman replied, dodging Remus’ attempted swing when the other got too close. 

“Well it’s your fault for breaking your own dumb car!”

Remus had been waiting for this day since he had somehow miraculously gotten Logan to agree to go on a date with him. Logan, the uptight nerd from the bookshop with a jawline that could cut glass and eyes Remus wanted to be waterboarded in. He had texted the number on the back of the receipt immediately upon getting it. A simple ‘hey itz Remus ;-3’ to which Logan replied with perfect grammar and punctuation. Gah, he could be in love. They had gone back and forth about their plans for the aquarium and Remus had promised to pick Logan up. Then the conversation turned to other things and Remus got to know more about Logan other than the fact that he was gorgeous. He liked astronomy (which is different from astrology apparently), he drank his coffee black, and he had been working at the bookshop since he was sixteen. Remus had never committed to anything that long, that was insane. For every question he answered he asked one in return and Remus couldn’t remember the last time he’d held someone’s attention that long in a positive way that wasn’t Janus or Roman. 

Roman, who was currently trying to sabotage their date it would seem by putting his own first. Remus had to resolve this quickly or he’d risk being late to pick Logan up. 

“Roman, you know how pumped I’ve been for this. I’m taking the car,” Remus argued, watching Roman pluck the car keys off the hook and fully getting ready to pounce on his brother. 

“Take your bike! You have options, I don’t!” Roman replied, holding the keys away from Remus.

“Fine! Fine. But you so owe me a big one.”

Roman cheered at winning the argument as Remus plucked the keys to his motorcycle off the hook and headed out to the garage, grabbing his jacket on the way. It might have been hot as hell outside but the aquarium could be chilly plus he never rode without his jacket. He shoved the helmet on his noggin and grabbed a spare for Logan before zooming off to the address his date had given him. It was an easy enough to find building, balconies lining the outer walls and large brass numbers over the front door. Remus parked his bike and pulled his helmet off, finding L. Berry on the doorbell system and pushing the appropriate button.

“Hello?” Logan’s voice answered after a while.

“Your noble steed awaits, Specs. You ready?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll be down in just a moment, Remus.”

Remus went to go lean against his bike, resting his helmet on the ground so it didn’t get knocked off. It really was just a moment before Logan emerged from the building’s front door causing a smile to break out on his face. The nerd walked over and Remus opened his arms for a hug to be met with a hand extended for a handshake. He laughed and went for that instead. 

“We aren’t going on that...are we?” Logan asked, eyeing the bike warily. 

“Ro totally hijacked the car this morning,” Remus explained. “You’ve never ridden one before?”

“No. Motorcycles are highly impractical and-”

“Lemme stop you there,” Remus said, handing Logan the spare helmet. “It’s not as dangerous as you think it is. All you gotta do is hold onto me nice and tight and before you know it, we’ll be at the aquarium making kissy faces as the fishies.”

“That’s not generally how I spend my time at the aquarium...is that how you spend your time at the aquarium?” Logan questioned, taking the helmet hesitantly. 

“Sometimes, yeah,” Remus laughed, sticking his own helmet on and getting onto the bike, motioning for Logan to do the same. 

Once Logan was on and he felt long arms secure themselves around his waist Remus headed off to the aquarium. He looked in the mirrors every once in a while to check if Logan was okay and after about a mile of panic the other seemed to relax a little bit and almost looked like he was enjoying the ride. The only thing Remus didn’t like about this was that he didn’t get the chance to converse with Logan, but there was plenty of time for that once they got to the aquarium itself. Besides...silence was a pretty good payoff for having Logan hugging him from behind. It wasn’t a terribly far ride to the aquarium and they were there quite quickly. 

“See? That wasn’t so bad was it?” Remus asked, getting off first and holding out a hand to help Logan do the same. “And now you can check that off your bucket list.”

“No...it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Logan admitted, accepting the hand offered to him for help. “Though I do not have a bucket list, I don’t think riding a motorcycle would be on it. I never had any desire to do that before...but it was rather exhilarating…”

“You use a whole lotta fancy words, Specs. I like it.”

Remus held out a hand for Logan’s helmet to secure it on the bike with his own. He thought he almost saw the hint of blushing on the other’s cheeks but that could have been the summer sun beating down on them. Logan didn’t have sunglasses like he did, just his regular ol’ glasses. 

“I got a membership to this place so I’ll get the tickets, they’re free with it,” Remus said as they walked into the large building, the lighting inside much darker and slightly blue tinted. 

“I’m a member as well, actually,” Logan replied. “I’m a member of all educational facilities in the tristate area.”

“Oh be still my beating heart...cute and a member at the aquarium? You’re really turning out to be the whole package here, Logie.”

Logan opened his mouth like perhaps he wanted to protest the new nickname or that he wasn’t any sort of package, but the duo was called up to the ticket booth before he could. Remus went ahead and asked for two tickets anyway, flashing his membership card and getting two stickers to show they had been cleared for admission. He stuck his own on his chest before sticking Logan’s on his tie and moving them off the line and towards the first set of tanks. 

“So...you wore a tie to a date to an aquarium, huh?” Remus asked, starting up conversation as they looked at the colorful fish swimming around. 

“Oh- yes,” Logan said, looking down at his now stickered tie. “Admittedly, I did have to research how to dress for a date and the articles I read mentioned ties. I wear them often so I thought it was the best route. Was I not supposed to wear a tie to the aquarium?”

“No, no. You can wear whatever you want, Lo. I was just curious,” Remus assured, pausing a moment. “You had a look up what to wear for a date?”

“Well, yes. I, ah...don’t go on very many. Or...any...”

“Aw…” Remus cooed, gently nudging Logan’s shoulder with his own. “Then we’ll make this a good one.”

The two of them walked around, pausing to look into the different tanks. Remus coulda sworn he almost saw a smile on the other’s face at some of his enthusiastic bouncing. Turns out Logan had a whole lot of fish facts to share and Remus eagerly listened, sharing a few of his own though they weren’t as cool as the ones Logan shared. When they got to the archway tank a shark swam right overhead of them and Re excitedly pointed it out, the pair stopping to watch the shark swim around for a while. Shockingly the aquarium wasn’t too busy on a Thursday afternoon, only a few groups of camp kids in brightly colored matching shirts. Finally they got to Remus’ favorite exhibit. 

“Look!” he said, grabbing Logan’s hand and pulling him over to the octopus tanks. “God- aren’t they fuckin’ awesome…”

“You’re quite fond of octopuses, aren't you?” Logan questioned, nodding to the tattoo on display on Remus’ arm since the other had cut the sleeves off of his shirt at some point. 

“I really couldn’t tell ya why...I just think they’re neat,” Remus explained, smiling when Logan pointed out his tattoo. “This octopus is actually here! He’s somewhere in this tank but y’know, camouflage and all.”

“You got a tattoo of one of the octopuses from this aquarium?” Logan asked for clarification, his eyes going from Remus to the tank in an attempt to find the creature in question. 

“Yeah, Duke. When I was like twelve or somethin’ I won a raffle to name their newest octopus. I made the poor nanny drive me here like every day so I could see him.”

“That’s actually...quite nice.”

“Oh! There he is,” Remus said, pointing out a small bit of movement in the sand at the bottom of the tank. Now that they knew where to look it was easy to spot the octopus. “Did you know octopi have three hearts? Oh! And blue blood.”

“I did know that, but it’s very interesting,” Logan nodded. “They also lack bones and are quite intelligent.”

“They’re just so cool!”

They stood and watched Duke the octopus for a long time, swapping facts about cephalopods. The octopus eventually did move and Remus was able to show off the similarities between the creature in the tank and the tattoo on his arm. The resemblance was striking. Eventually they moved on, continuing to talk about they fish they passed until they ended up in the gift shop. 

“I always loved the gift shop of museums,” Remus said, moving over to browse a rack of postcards. “It was almost like a reward for making it through the boring stuff.”

“You didn’t seem to find the aquarium boring,” Logan stated. 

“Oh, yeah. Aquariums don’t count. I just...don’t like museums as much. They’re cool and all - especially the art museum that has all the medieval armor and weaponry - but no one will go with me because apparently I’m too loud for museum culture.”

“I quite enjoy that museum actually,” Logan said. “Perhaps we can go there together. I do have a membership.”

Remus thought he was gonna vibrate from excitement. Logan had just asked him on a second date, right? That’s what had happened? He gave an enthusiastic nod, his eyes catching on something along the wall. Ties!

“Oh! Oh, wait here,” he said, running over to the display.

Sure enough they had a few different designs. Remus immediately fell in love with a navy blue tie that had a green octopus towards the bottom. He pulled it off the rack, not bothering to check the price and moved back to show Logan.

“I’m gonna get this for you,” he said, holding the tie up.

“Wha- Remus, no. You don’t have to do that,” Logan replied. “It’s a very lovely tie, but you don’t need to buy me a gift.”

“I know I don’t need to. I want to...so I am.”

“I’m not going to be able to convince you to put that back, am I?”

“Nope.”

“Very well,” Logan nodded. “Your turn to wait here.”

Remus did as he was told, looking over the rack of postcards again. He found one with an eel on it and picked one up to give to Janus. Eels were like water snakes, right? Janus did love his snakes. Not too long after he walked off Logan came back with a small stuffed octopus in his hands.

“I’m going to buy this for you,” Logan said. “Is that- is this something you’d like?”

“Lo, I will literally cherish that for the rest of my life,” Remus grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement. “Hell, I’ll be buried with it.”

Logan’s shoulders seemed to relax a little bit at Remus’ approval. Remus moved over to the register, flashing his membership card again for that wonderful 10% off he got as a perk. Once he was done Logan got rung up, showing his own card. 

“For you,” Logan said, holding out the stuffed octopus.

“And for you,” Remus replied, exchanging the tie for the toy. “Y’know...all this walking around the aquarium has me heavily craving some coffee. You game?”

“I- yes. I would also appreciate some caffeine right now,” Logan nodded. 

“It’s no Remy’s place, but there’s a cafe like a block away, c’mon,” Remus said, grabbing Logan’s hand again to lead him away from the aquarium and towards the sidewalk.

The coffee shop was much busier than the aquarium but the smell of roasting beans was pretty much divine as soon as they walked in. The seats inside were all full but there were a few spare seats outside that hopefully wouldn’t be snagged before they got their orders in. The two of them continued to chat during the walk and while waiting on line. Remus placed their order, getting a black coffee for Logan and his own personal drink which he liked to call the Gamble With Death.

“Surely that cannot be good for your heart,” Logan stated after hearing Remus say eight shots of espresso. 

“It hasn’t killed me yet,” Remus shrugged. “If it ever does I promise to let you know.”

“How would you let me know? You’d be dead?”

Before Remus could think up an answer for that his name was called out and he went to go grab the two cups, handing Logan his. They grabbed a table outside and Remus stuck his new octopus in the middle of the table.

“He needs a name,” he said, gesturing to the stuffed toy. 

“It does?” Logan questioned, sipping his coffee.

“Of course he does!”

“You could perhaps go with a nod to H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu and name him that,” Logan suggested. 

“Hm...I like that, I like that,” Remus nodded, getting an idea. “Cthuwu. Y’know, like ‘uwu’?”

“Tell me if I use this wrong but, ah...cursed.”

Remus broke into laughter at that, assuring Logan that was the right context but it was more the delivery that caught him off guard. Apparently Virgil works with Logan to get the adorable nerd up to date with modern slang. The guy had flashcards which Remus absolutely needed to see now. They stayed at that cafe table long after their coffee cups had been drained, until suddenly the sky was a mass of pinks and oranges. 

“Ah, shit. I totally kept you out longer than I had promised,” Remus said, stretching in his chair. 

“Oh,” Logan looked up, blinking like he had just been pulled out of their little personal bubble. “Yes. I should probably get home. I do have work tomorrow and I have my nightly routine to keep up with.”

“So...organized,” Remus grinned, standing up and tossing his empty cup into the trash bin. “Then home we go, Logie.”

Logan stood up as well, discarding his cup and following Remus back to his motorcycle. Remus was able to fill any void of silence by running his mouth. He was currently telling Logan about the first time he took Janus on the bike. He hadn’t been too fond of it. Remus handed Logan his helmet and stuck their purchases in his side bag, before long they were back off towards Logan’s apartment. 

“Y’know, Lo...I had a lot of fun today,” Remus said once the engine was killed and they were parked by Logan’s front door. 

“I...actually did too. You were certainly a wonderful companion for the aquarium,” Logan replied, handing back his borrowed helmet. “Thank you for not letting me die on the back of the motorcycle.”

“Nah, Specs...I would never let someone as cute and clever as you die,” Remus winked, pulling the tie out of the side bag and sticking the helmet in there with Cthuwu. “I’ll see you around, yeah? I’m almost done with that book you recommended.”

“Oh? I’m so glad you’re liking it,” Logan grinned, books seeming to be a topic he rather enjoyed talking about. “Well...I’ll start building a list of recommendations for you.”

“Absolutely cannot wait,” Remus returned the other’s smile, pausing for a moment before taking a step closer and kissing Logan on the cheek. “Bye, Specs.”

He shoved the helmet on his head and sped back home after making sure Logan made it inside alright. He looked a little dazed after that kiss on the cheek which was just so damn adorable. Remus was absolutely on cloud nine. Now he got to go home and gush about it all to Janus over the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always appreciated, they motivate me to keep on going which I'm sure y'all have read at the bottom of all six chapter by now.


	7. The Day After The Date

Logan took the steps back up to his apartment two at a time. Highly illogical considering the risk of falling, but he felt like his brain was short circuiting. The spot on his cheek where Remus had kissed him metaphorically felt like it was on fire. As he made it through his door he let go of a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding in. Logan had gone on a date with one of the strangest people he had ever met, but more importantly, he had liked it. He’d had possibly one of the best times of his life, which wasn’t too hard considering he usually spent time reading or studying or working. It was odd, he almost wished he had somebody to talk to about the events of the date, ‘gushing’ it would probably be called. That was insane, though. He didn’t gush, though for the first time he felt like he might want to. 

Logan forced himself to go through his nighttime ritual, same as he always did, with one exception. He revisited the outfit he had set out for the next day and swapped out the previously chosen grey and blue pinstripe tie for the octopus one Remus had bought him from the gift shop. Thankfully it still coordinated with what he had planned to wear. As much as he still felt like his whole mind was going through a power surge, he still had to return back to reality tomorrow and an appropriate amount of sleep was required for that. He dozed off making a mental list of books he could recommend for Remus to read, just like he had promised to.

The alarm went off at the same time it did every morning, causing Logan to be pulled out of sleep as he blindly reached for his glasses on his nightstand before shutting off the harsh beeping. It was early, a consistent sleep schedule was highly important, but he didn’t have to be into the bookshop until three this afternoon, which left him lots of morning time to check off some chores and engage in recreation. He went through his strict morning routine, finishing it off with getting dressed and admiring his new tie a little bit. He finally thought to check his phone and saw he had a few texts from Remus, which wasn’t unusual he had noted. The mustached man seemed to disregard the use of paragraphs and texted in fragments. It was chaotic, quite like he was. The messages took a few seconds to decode due to the rather unusual way Remus texted, but they were just informing Logan that he had gotten home alright and that Roman was surprised he had actually gotten on the motorcycle. His favorite was a picture he had received of the stuffed octopus - Cthuwu - sitting on top of Remus’ messy hair with the other making some sort of silly face. That simple picture was enough to make Logan smile before responding to the messages. 

The rest of his morning was spent tidying up and reading a few chapters of his book while keeping an eye on the time. Logan thought that maybe he could leave a few minutes early today and pick up a treat for the shop, like Patton usually did. It was seen as a kind gesture so he figured there would be no harm in bringing something in. For some reason he also deemed it a good day to walk through the park, the geese not seeming nearly as annoying today. By the time he got to the bookshop with a box of donuts in hand (truly something he’d never usually approve of, they’re horrible for you) it was three exactly. It was unlike Logan to be on time and not early, but at least he wasn’t late. He nodded his hello to Patton as he passed by the shelves and greeted Mr. Sanders before retreating to the back room to set the box down on the table and clock in. 

“Logan! Oh, I’ve been waiting all day for you to come in!” Patton grinned, practically skipping into the break room. 

“Why? Did something bad happen?” Logan questioned, pulling his apron out of his bag and unfolding it. 

“What? No. I wanna hear about your date! If you wanna share, of course…”

“Oh,” Logan said with a nod. “It went quite well. We went to the aquarium and then got coffee.”

“You’re bad at gossiping, L,” Virgil said, joining the circle that was forming. “Ro told me that Remus got you onto his motorcycle.”

“Is everyone coming back here? Who’s watching the front?” Logan asked as Virgil entered the conversation. 

“Ooh! You rode a motorcycle?” Patton said, ignoring the question. “You must really like this guy, huh? That’s kinda dangerous…”

“He assured me it was completely safe - or, well...safe enough,” Logan replied, pulling his apron on and tying the back. “Truly I don’t know why you both care so much, it’s not that exciting.” 

“Well...you never really go out unless we drag you out,” Patton admitted. “We’re just happy for you. Right, kiddo?”

“Right,” Virgil nodded. “I mean, I have no clue what you see in Remus, but you do you.”

“You’re literally dating his identical twin brother,” Logan deadpanned. “Now, come on. My dating life is not important. I’m sure Mr. Sanders is wondering where you all ran off to.”

The three of them filed out of the room, Patton grabbing one of the donuts on the way. Logan joined Mr. Sanders behind the counter, reaching for a white binder that had the setups for the new display tables he would be working on today. 

“So you got the ambush, huh?” the bookshop owner asked with a knowing smile.

“Please, not you too. It’s truly not that interesting,” Logan replied, flipping through pages.

“Oh, c’mon. You remember how Pat was after Virgil’s first date with Roman, it’s sorta just how friends are.”

“Yes, well...I did get the ambush, though apparently I’m terrible at gossiping,” Logan said, finding the proper page finally.

“Well anyone coulda told you that,” Mr. Sanders chuckled. “Nice new tie, by the way. It reminds me of a certain someone.”

“Thank you. It’s from the gift shop.”

The rest of Logan’s day was spent setting up new display tables and helping out the few customers that came in. Patton went home first since he had opened with Mr. Sanders that day, and Virgil followed a few hours later. Logan was excused for his break where he simply chose to sit in the back and flip through a new book that came in. He checked his texts to see a new one from Remus asking if he wanted to meet him after closing the shop tonight, followed by a suggestion for getting dinner together. There was also another picture of a yellow snake wrapped around the stuffed octopus from the aquarium further up. Logan responded to the text that dinner would be satisfactory before going back to finish up his shift. 

Closing went fairly quickly considering there were two people doing the job rather than one, and they finished in half the time it usually took. Mr. Sanders bid Logan a goodnight, assuring him that he’d lock up the shop. Logan was met with Remus leaning against his motorcycle holding the spare helmet he had worn for their aquarium date.

“Howdy, Loganberry,” he grinned. 

“Hello, Remus Kingsley,” Logan greeted, assuming they were using full names, hence the confusion when it made Remus laugh.

“C’mon, I hope you’re hungry...and that you don’t loathe sand too much,” Remus said, sticking the helmet onto Logan’s head and holding out a hand for the other’s bag so that he could secure it on the bike. 

“I’m not fond of it, but I can tolerate the stuff so long as you don’t plan on us eating sand for dinner,” he replied, handing over his belongings and securing the helmet.

“A novel idea! I will jot that down on the to-try list, but no, not tonight. Maybe next time if I don’t manage to scare you away.”

“You truly aren’t that scary, I don’t see how you would,” Logan shrugged lightly as Remus slung his jacket back on. “But don’t eat sand.”

“No promises, Nerdy Wolverine,” Remus laughed again. “But c’mon! I really tapped into my hidden romantic side for this.”

Logan was very tempted to ask what he was getting himself into here, but had the sense Remus wanted to keep it a surprise even if he did ask. He joined the other on the motorcycle and they sped away from the bookshop, following the signs that led them towards the coastal area near their town which only served to continue to peak his curiosity. He didn’t come down here often, mostly because he didn’t swim at the beach and didn’t generally enjoy the company of the people who did, what other reason would there be? Remus always seemed to have some sort of adventure planned so here he was, getting pulled out of his usual comfort zone. Though, it wasn’t too bad when he remembered who was doing the pulling. It was about twenty minutes before the smell of the ocean hit and Remus parked the bike outside of a diner.

“We’re here!” He declared happily, killing the engine. “I’m telling you, this place has to die for, well...everything. Plus we can sit outside and watch the water!”

“Well, I’ve trusted you up to this point, there’s no logical reason for me to stop now.”

“I love the way you think, Loganberry. Onward we go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos always appreciated, fuel my ego.


	8. By The Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of cw's this chapter, just some cursing :)

Remus had really tried not to be stalker-y when he texted Virgil for Logan’s work hours that morning. He just wanted to surprise the cute boy who had been filling his thoughts up! And it had worked, because here Logan was letting him drag him out for dinner. Not only that...but Logan trusted him! It made his gay little heart sing. 

“A diner?” Logan questioned as they sat down in a booth. The place was mostly deserted despite it being peak season on the boardwalk. Luckily their home town was just far enough from the water to not be a tourist trap. 

“My favorite diner. It...used to be better, but the owner died a while ago and his daughter didn’t wanna inherit the place. But she did. At least she kept the staff because Ed in the back knows how to make a killer burger,” Remus explained with a grin. “You wore your new tie today.”

“I did, and though it was mostly hidden behind the apron, it was a somewhat nice change to my usual rounds of blue ties,” Logan said, looking over the menu with slight distrust. “I saw you and Cthuwu had a wonderful day together. I liked the pictures you updated me with throughout the day.”

“I’m glad! I took him to meet Jan and Jan’s snakes, and then him and I went on a ride and I’m immensely happy he didn’t fall off the back of the bike. He’s in the saddle bag now, napping I imagine. It’s been a long day for a little stuffed octopus.”

“You’re quite good at giving personalities to inanimate objects,” Logan observed, deciding he was just going to get whatever Remus got since the other clearly knew the place better. 

“Yeah, it’s a skill of mine.”

“Is this akin to an average day of yours? Just...filling your time with whatever you want to do?”

“Well. yeah. I’m not a college person, and I’ve hit a wall with the latest piece I’ve been working on. Apparently being an artist is just as bad as being a writer when it comes to creative blocks…”

“You’re an artist?” Logan asked with a small smile. “I should have known. You had paint smeared on your cheek when you came to Patton’s book reading. I assumed you were just messy.”

“Well, I am messy, but absolutely, Loganberry. I’ll show you my stuff sometime. I can never pick a medium, so it’s pretty inconsistent.”

“Somehow that does fit in with your, ah…’vibe’. Did I use that correctly?”

“Sure did, babes,” Remus winked.

The waiter came over to take their orders and Remus put his in for a bacon cheeseburger and asked for a note to be put down for Ed in the back that it was him. Logan asked for the same thing, just with no tomatoes.

“You got a tomato vendetta?” Remus asked with a chuckle.

“Awful texture. Slimy goo with little seeds inside...I cannot stand them,” Logan replied, scrunching his nose up.

“Aw...you’re adorable, you know that?” Remus said, leaning forward on his hands.

“Oh, well…” Logan’s cheeks started to turn pink. “I suppose if you find a hatred of Solanum lycopersicums adorable then, yes.”

“Solanum...I have no clue what you said, but I certainly liked the way you said it,” Remus grinned. “Though your hatred of tomatoes isn’t the sexiest thing about you, it certainly makes the list.”

“Well, now you’re just flirting.”

“Yes,” Remus laughed. “Have been for a while, but thank you for finally noticing, Specs.”

“Oh, apologies. I’m not the best at picking up on such things.”

“I noticed” Remus smiled. “But it’s okay. According to many people, I never know when to shut the fuck up or tone it down, so we both suck.”

“You’ve been quite good thus far, I hadn’t noticed. Well, except when you screamed in the bookshop. That was rather crass.”

“That bookshop,” Remus smiled fondly. “Do you wanna tell me what’s up with you and that bookshop? I can tell you really love that place. There has to be a story there, right?”

“A story? Hardly. I simply did not connect with my peers as a child, and as a result I spent most of my time in Mr. Sanders’ shop and then started working there when I was of age,” Logan shrugged. “I find the shop comforting, and I am in charge when Mr. Sanders goes away, which is quite often actually. But I don’t mind. The bookshop makes me happy.”

“That’s totally a story, babes,” Remus chuckled, nodding a thanks as their food was brought out. Nothing special, exactly what you would expect from a run down diner, though a bottle of hot sauce was placed on the table right after which he happily grabbed. “And it’s cute. It’s nice that you have something like that.”

“Do you have a metaphorical - or physical - bookshop?” Logan asked, taking the ketchup bottle from the end of the table. Seems his hatred of tomatoes only applied to solid ones. 

“Do I have a thing that makes me happy?” Remus asked. “I dunno. Lots of stuff. I like riding my motorcycle and watching horror movies...and visiting Duke at the aquarium. Painting, Halloween, going to the Renaissance fair with Ro...all those are things that make me happy.”

“Those are valid, but I meant in a larger sense,” Logan said. “For example, at the bookshop I feel as if I have a purpose which is psychologically very important for humans. I suppose I’m asking if you feel as though you have something that gives you that.”

“Pretty deep for second date conversation,” Remus said, smile faltering for a moment as he looked down at his food. 

“Apologies, I did not-”

“No, no. It’s all good,” he assured. “I’m not one to really keep secrets or anything. I just...don’t. Have a purpose that is. I’m workin’ on finding it, but nothing ever really seems to fit right. Y’know? And, hey, I’m a lucky enough person to be able to try stuff out until I find a fit. Not everyone has that luxury.”

Logan nodded, giving Remus a slight smile. “That’s okay, I’m certain you’ll find your metaphorical bookshop one day.”

“Thanks, Lo,” Remus replied, expression softening at the other for a moment before he took a deep breath. “Okay! Okay, pro tip here...douse everything in hot sauce. You’ll thank me.”

Logan did not douse everything in hot sauce, he claimed he wasn’t a fan of spicy foods. Remus was, though, and did just what he had suggested. They talked more about what they each did in their free time, and Remus really found he liked spending time with Logan. He was cute, sure...but he was adorable on the inside too. Remus was definitely developing more than a crush on Mr. Berry. When the time came to pay he covered the check without a second thought.

“We could have split it,” Logan said after he had paid.

“Why? This is a date. I wanted to pay,” Remus shrugged, looking outside. It was sunset. “Wanna go for a beach walk? You said you could tolerate sand.”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” Logan said, looking out to the beach. “Very well. We can go for a walk.”

Remus grinned, standing up the second his card was handed back and taking Logan’s hand which he noticed got another pink cheeked reaction from the nerd. They headed down to the beach, walking along the edge of the water, far enough away that nobody’s shoes would get wet. The summer nights were quite chilly on the shore, so the beach wasn’t terribly full. Remus only let go of Logan’s hand to go chase some seagulls, regretting the choice when the seagulls chased him back. Birds had been doing that a lot to him lately, there must be an anti-Remus bird conspiracy going. That was what he explained to Logan as he grabbed the other’s hand and fled from the birds. Their walk ended as the sun was gone from below the horizon with them both slightly out of breath and back at Remus’ motorcycle. 

“In my defense...they usually don’t chase back,” he explained.

“It would seem this time they did,” Logan replied, brushing a hand through his hair to keep it neat. “But...that was certainly exhilarating in it’s own way. I can’t say I’ve ever run from seagulls before.”

“First time for everything,” Remus laughed, meeting Logan’s eye.

And, shit. He wanted to kiss Logan. He really wanted to kiss Logan. It would be so easy, just lean forward and smooch...but it was their second date and what if Logan didn’t want to kiss him.

“Remus, are you alright?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, yeah. Totally, Specs,” Remus said, pulling himself out of that moment. “C’mon, let's get you home.”

“Yes, home seems good. I forget the sun goes down quite late sometimes,” Logan said, taking his borrowed helmet when it was offered to him. “I’m actually starting to somewhat enjoy riding the motorcycle with you.”

“Well, good! I like riding with you too, mon amour.”

Remus shoved his own helmet onto his head, getting on the bike and starting it as Logan climbed onto the back. He smiled when he felt the other’s arms secure around his waist and headed off. He parked outside of Logan’s building, getting off after Lo to say a proper goodbye.

“I will see you next time I see you,” Remus said, taking Logan’s helmet back with a smile. “I had fun on our spontaneous little date.”

Logan seemed to ponder for a moment before taking a deep breath and speaking, “Would you like to come up for some tea? I usually have a cup to relax around this time anyway...and I have lots of tea…”

“Heh, sure, Loganberry. I’ll come up for some tea,” Remus smiled, taking Logan’s hand again and following him inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! And being patient while I took my time getting this written. Comments and kudos appreciated, they fuel my ego, but you knew that by now.


	9. More Lists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for some minor cursing

Logan wasn’t sure what made him invite Remus up to his apartment. It was only the second date, and yet...here he was unlocking his door and letting Remus in for a cup of tea.

“Sorry it’s a bit of a mess,” he apologized, looking around the pristine apartment. The mess in question was a mug he had left on the drying rack and a book he hadn’t put back on the shelf.

“If this is a mess you’re gonna have a heart attack when you see my place…” Remus mumbled, following Logan in. 

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Logan assured, heading to the kitchen while Remus walked around the living room. Though he did smile a little at the promise that he’d see Remus’ place eventually. That meant Remus planned on keeping him around a little longer. 

Logan pulled down two mugs from the cupboard, one black and one navy blue, and set the kettle on to boil water. He opened up another cupboard humming a little as he looked over the large tea selection.

“What kind of tea would you like?” he asked Remus who was currently looking over the book on the coffee table.

“What kind of tea do you have?”

“Well...I have blueberry, raspberry, ginseng, sleepy time, green tea, green tea with lemon, green tea with lemon and honey, liver disaster, ginger with honey, ginger without honey, vanilla almond, white truffle, blueberry chamomile, vanilla walnut, constant comment, and...earl grey.”

“Uhm…” Remus blinked. “Green tea with lemon and honey?”

“Of course,” Logan nodded, pulling that tin out with the tin of sleepy time and preparing their two mugs for when the water finished boiling.

“Well...I know what to get you for christmas now. Anything tea related,” Remus joked, putting the book down on the coffee table and coming into the kitchen to lean against the counter. 

“That is what Patton does when he gets me in the shop’s secret Santa. I’ve got many animal shaped tea infusers from him, most notably the sloth and the llama we’re using now.”

“Aww...you guys have a secret Santa for each other? That’s so cute.”

“Yes, it was Patton’s idea, though I doubt that’s surprising at all,” Logan said, looking to Remus and not being able to stop the light smile from appearing on his face.

There was just something about Remus that made him feel illogical and happy. He was surprised that he didn’t find that to be a bad thing, but it was hard to think of anything other than Remus when the other man was around. The kettle started to whistle and he poured the steaming water into the mugs, handing the black one to Remus.

“We can sit on the couch if you’d like,” he said, heading over to where he usually sat for tea drinking, turning the radio on to his favorite classical station on the way. He kept the volume low so that they could still talk.

Remus followed, sipping his tea and scrunching his nose. He was not a tea person, but Logan had offered it so he would drink it.

“So, pirate royalty romance, huh?” Remus asked with a smirk, picking up the novel on the table again.

Logan blushed deeply, taking the book out of his hands and setting it down. “It’s, ah...a very guilty pleasure of mine. I can’t say I understand the romance aspect, but it is interesting to follow a storyline that is highly historically inaccurate for the sake of romance playing out. And I’ve found I have been giving into my more...whimsical side...recently. I even bought donuts for the shop.”

“Donuts?” Remus gasped, throwing a dramatic hand over his heart. “Who are you and what have you done with my Specs? Pirate romance is one thing, but donuts? Absurd behavior.”

“I know!” Logan said with a light chuckle, catching onto the joke once the hand went up. Roman had explained to him once that that usually meant sarcasm. “Like I said, my head has been up in the clouds.”

“When I’m with you my head is all the way up in outer space, babes.”

Logan blushed again at that, sipping his tea and enjoying the warmth that coursed through his body at it. Though that warmth might have something to do with Remus if he was being honest. 

“What’s this?” Remus asked, picking up an open notebook from the coffee table.

Logan’s eyes widened a little when he realized what it was. Oh, shit. The list. The list he had made trying to rationalize away his feelings for Remus.

“Oh, that’s rather embarrassing, we don’t need to- and you’re reading it. Okay,” he sighed slightly, watching the other’s expression as he read.

“You like my eyes?” Remus smiled, looking up. “And you think I’m attractive. And tall.”

“Well, yes. I think the attractiveness and your height are plain facts. I am quite fond of your eyes, though. I think they’re, ah...pretty…?”

“Do you have a pen?”

“A pen?”

“Yeah, I wanna make a list of my own,” Remus replied.

Logan wasn’t sure quite how to respond, but he reached over to the small basket he kept remotes in and pulled out a pen, handing it over. Remus shot him a thanks and got to writing on a clean page of the notebook. Logan could only imagine what sort of thoughts Remus was writing down...but he couldn’t help but find further features to make his heart flutter a bit. The way the tip of Remus’ tongue poked out in concentration or the way his brow furrowed slightly, it was cute. 

“Done!” Remus said with a happy grin, pulling Logan out of his thoughts.

“Done with...what?” Logan asked.

“Read it, silly.”

Logan looked down as the notebook was shoved into his hands, sipping his tea as he read the title. Things Remus Likes About Logan. Oh, it was a mimic to the list he had made, except there was no rationalization column. He blushed slightly, going down the numbered list. 1- He has a cute nose. 2- The way he dresses like an old man. 3- He always has good book recommendations. 4- Doesn’t tell me to shut up when I ramble. 5- Great ass. Really good ass. Awesome ass.

Logan thought he might cry a little bit, though the last number on the list got a small chuckle out of him.

“Add your laugh to that list for sure. And your smile,” Remus said, pulling the notebook back to write down both those things. 

“Is this you flirting again?”

“It is.”

“Well, then...thank you. Your streams of compliments are appreciated, though unnecessary. I’m not really sure how to flirt back.”

“I think you just did,” Remus replied. “In your own special way, of course.”

“Then I shall continue to flirt in my own special way,” Logan promised with a yawn, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. 

Remus looked down at his hardly touched mug of tea before looking back to Logan.

“I’ll get out of your hair,” he said, standing up. “Looks like that sleepy time is kicking in, hm?”

“Only partially, but it is best that I start on my nightly routine before I get too tired,” Logan nodded, standing as well. “Thank you for another nice evening.”

“My pleasure, babes,” Remus grinned, heading towards the door. 

Logan followed Remus to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. They were very close together and looking up at the other he got an urge to do something highly illogical. He wanted to kiss Remus Kingsley. That was ridiculous, Logan had never particularly wanted to kiss anyone ever in his life. It seemed Remus had a similar idea, though, as he started to lean in, hesitating for a moment to give Logan a chance to back away. Logan didn’t, standing his ground and tilting his head up a little bit until he felt Remus’ lips on his. Just a quick peck of a kiss, but it set his whole mind ablaze even more than when Remus had kissed his cheek.

“G’night, Specs,” Remus said, pecking Logan’s lips once more and heading out.

Logan was left rather speechless, not even processing Remus had left. Remus who he had just kissed and it had felt electrifying from just that small peck. He was left internally squealing as he sipped his tea with a personal smile and started on his night routine, smiling at the list Remus made when he went to clean up the other’s untouched tea. Maybe, just maybe, he could supply Patton with some proper gossip tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank everyone who leaves me such nice comments on these chapters, they really leave me with such a happy feeling every time I read them. Now back to my usual end of chapter note asking for even more comments and kudos, that ego is never satisfied. <3

**Author's Note:**

> First fic on here! I have no idea when this will update if people end up even liking it but I'm super invested in my own plot so we'll see


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